hello, and welcome to our viewers here and around the world. i'm christiane amanpour, and at the top of the news this week, president obama on the ropes. >> i'm exhausted of defending you. >> he faces tough criticism from his own supporters as republicans unveil their pledge to roll back his agenda. >> the government is out of control in washington. >> can democrats mobilize for this political war? will voters buy the republican plan? two "this week" exclusive interviews, the president's chief political adviser david axelrod and the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, only on "this week." and queen rania of jordan in a sunday exclusive as the u.s.

scrambles to save the middle east peace talks. we get her view. >> extremists have done a damn good job of using this cause to amplify their message. >> her efforts in the fight against extremism and for the rights of women and children. then obama's real war, afghanistan and bob woodward's new inside look at the battles over policy in the white house. we'll discuss that and all the week's politics in our roundtable with george will, donna brazile, matthew dowd and ron brownstein and "the sunday funnies." >> listen to this, one day delaware elects a witch, the next day the recession is over. i don't know. is that a coincidence? hello again, and this week the recession was finally declared over.

it officially ended june 2009, but the recovery has been slow, and the voters have been losing patience. with five weeks to go before the midterm elections, president obama and congressional democrats are facing potentially huge political losses. joining me now, the president's top political adviser, david axelrod. thank you for joining us. >> great to be here. >> i want to first though ask you about something very close to what the president has been doing, and that's middle east peace. the moratorium expires tonight. >> yes. >> the president asked the israeli prime minister to keep the moratorium on. he's not going to do it. what is going to stop these talks from collapsing? >> well, look, i don't want to prejudge what's going to happen in the next -- >> but is there a compromise? >> -- many hours. there's still -- the parties are still working. they're still talking. secretary clinton and her team

are working with them. we're very eager to keep these talks going. we think this is an unparalleled opportunity and a rare one, and we have to seize the advantage of that, and we are going to urge and urge and push throughout this day to get some kind of resolution. >> so you think you managed to urge to keep the moratorium on or is that going to expire? >> i'm not going to get into the details of what's being discussed, but what is most important now is that the parties are at the table. they're having serious discussions. they ought to keep on having those discussions, and we are very eager to see that happen. >> do you see any creative compromise to make that happen? the palestinians say they would walk. , iad w public pronouncements have been, but the parties are at the table. they're talking. they're trying to work this through, and we're hopeful they will. >> uh-huh. you know king abdullah, one of the president'artne thi, haon j stewart that there could be war if this moratorium expires.

how do you take that? >> look, obviously this is -- there are a lot of stakes here, and i saw that quote. i'm not going to comment on quote, but everyone understands that these talks themselves are absolutely crucial. we're at a pivotal juncture in that region. it's important for israel. it's important for the palestinians. and we think it's essential that they keeonov, keep on talking. keep on trying to work through these issues and -- >> will they? >> -- we're hopeful they will. we're hopeful that they will. >> let me turn now to the political situation, and particularly in light this week that of something else everybody is talking about, the cnbc town hall meeting the president had at the newseum in which one of his staunch defenders stood up and said she was getting tired. let me play this for you. >> quite frankly, i'm exhausted. i'm exhausted of dend defending the mantel of change that i voted for. >> right. >> and deeply disappoed w i've been told that i voted for

a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. i'm one of those people, and i'm waiting, sir, i'm waiting. >> a lot of people are waiting, mr. axelrod. how is the president -- how are you going to jazz your electorate, your base ahead of these elections? >> first of all let's understand that we've gone through a terrible time in this country. i understand what she was saying. the middle class took a terrible beating not just in the last two years of this recession but over the last ten years. we learned in the last few days that the middle class lost 5% of their income from 2001 to 2009 and, of course, that period ended with the worst economic crisis since the great depression. the key here is to keep moving forward, to keep doing things that have at its core, that has at its core the economic security of the middle class which is key to our economic growth. not to go back to the policies that created the crisis in the >> all right, but really a lot of people, i mean people from all over the world, frankly, say

to me, here comes a president with a huge mandate, a huge restervoir of good will, huge promises to change and with all of that, his popularity is down. people don't appreciate some of the amazing legislative agenda that he's accomplished. is this a failure of leadership? has he allowed the opposition to define him? >> i don't think, christiane, that you can say he's accomplished all these amazing things, and it's a failure of leadership. it was leadership that produced that. we are in the -- we have endured the worst economic crisis since the great depression. it took a decade to build up to that. it'll take more time than anybody would like to deal with the remnants of it. there's devastation as a result of that. and we're working every day -- i mean we're obviously in a different place from january of 2009 when we were losing 700,000, 800,000 jobs a month. now we've had job growth all this year, private sector job growth, but we have to accelerate that, and the president has made a series of

proposals to do that. hopefully we can get some cooperation on the other side to make that happen. >> well, the other side, as you know, has brought out their pledge for america. republicans are feeling very confident right now, and people are looking at, you know, what happened in 1994 when president clinton lost congress to the republica for president obama, which he and get >> uh-huh. >> i'd like to see him say, we couldn't get out of this $3 trillion hole in 21 months. give us two more years. don't go back to the policies that dug the hole, but if we don't do better -- this is the last thing -- if we don't do better, you can vote against us all, and i'll be on the ballot too. vote against us all. >> is that good political advice, vote against us all? is that what -- will president obama take that advice? >> president clinton is a great politician, and i'm not in any way going to quarrel with him. i think people in 2012 will vote on this. i don't think they need an

invitation to do so. i think the crux of what he's saying is absolutely right, though. when you look at that pledge to america, it is a complete echo of what was done before. it would borrow $700 billion to cut taxes for the very wealthy, add trillions of dollars to the deficits. it would unleash the special interests to be writing rules here on capitol hill again, and it would cut things like -- there's a 20% cut in there for education. we're talking about our economy. education is the defense budget of the -- economic defense budget of the 21st century, and they're basically talking about disarmament. 8 million kids would have their college aid slashed under this budget. this isn't a prescription for economic growth. this is a prescription for surrender. we can't do that. >> what about one of the things that the president has been talking about for so long, and that is the tax breaks. why did the democrats decide to push that aside before the midterms? >> well, look, here's where we are, and you can talk to your

next guest about what the republicans have said, and they said it again in this pledge is, what we've said is we want to extend tax cuts for people up to $250,000 of income. that would cover 98% of the american people. they say, no, we won't do that alone. we want to borrow another $700 billion over the next 10 years to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, and we're saying we can't afford that, not in our fiscal condition, and so -- and now they want to hold those middle class tax cuts hostage until we -- unless and until we agree to that, and that's something we can't do. >> if you can't do it now and you're not going to do it now, how are you going to do it after the election when you might have less of a majority? >> i believe when the republican members return to their districts, they will have to explain to their constituents why they're holding up tax cuts for the middle class, and i think it's untenable to say we'll allow them to go up january 1st unless the president agrees to give tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires. that's exactly how we got into

the jam we were in before. this is how they quadrupled the national debt and exploded the deficits and squandered the surplus that bill clinton left them. >> people are very upset about the national debt and the deficits and all that right now. >> yeah, well, they should be. >> but also the president talked about extending the middle class tax cuts. can you do that after the election? >> well, we're going to get that done one way or the other. we're going to get it done, and i believe the pressure is going to bill among the american people. i don't believe senator mcconnell or anybody else will be o stup t american people and say we're going to hold your tax cut hostage so we can give anothge t o millir anair >> quick answers to some of the statements that have come out in bob woodward's book, particularly some about yourself. general petraeus, the commander now in afghanistan, said a couple of things according to the one, this white house, they don't know who they're xxx with,

messing with, and another, that he didn't like talking to you because you are "a complete spin doctor." >> well, look, i've seen general petraeus in interviews with you and others, and i've always been impressed by how deft he is on tv, so i assume he meant that as a compliment. >> oh, you think so? >> yes. >> tell me how you think -- and do you believe there will be a confrontation between what the white house believes to have the drawdown in 2011 and what general petraeus seems very, very clearly to be laying the groundwork for and that is much less of a drawdown, if at all, by 2011. >> i think general petraeus and everyone involved was there through this process, and at the end of the process and everyone agreed that the drawdown would begin in july of 2011 and not a trivial drawdown, but a real drawdown. >> and one last question. everybody is also talking about, you know, recivils in the white house. rahm emanuel, who apparently wants to run for mayor of chicago, will he leave before the midterms? >> well, look, filing for that is november 22nd, i believe, in

chicago, and obviously it takes some time if you're going to run for mayor to do it, so it stands to reason he would have to leave earlier if he decides to do it, and that's something he's still working through. >> what's your -- if you had to bet, will he do it and leave before the midterms? >> i never bet on national television. >> what do you think will happen? >> he's loved the city of chicago and always believed that was the greatest job there is and so i think he's drawn to it. but he still has family considerations to think about, and he's working those through. >> david axelrod, thank you very much, indeed. and joining me now is the republican leader in the senate, senator mitch mcconnell. welcome to "this week." >> good morning. >> thank you for joining us. >> glad to be here. >> you heard what david axelrod said about the republican plan on extending all the bush era tax cuts and that it would really, you know, put the country more in hock. analysts say it'll cause, you know, add some 4 trillion or so

to the national debt. are you really going to do that, or do you think there will be a compromise on extending the middle class tax cuts? >> well, let's understand what we're talking about here. this has been the tax rate for a decade. we're talking about raising taxes in the middle of a recession. and most economists think that's the oing old the president h that was the wo ing could dyeard a o >> so do you -- >> raising taxes in the middle of a recession is a particularly bad idea, and republicans don't think that's what we ought to do. >> s do thin i middlax cge tl the tax cuts you -- >> well, nothing is being held hostage to anything. it was the democrats thlves who decided not 0 have this debate. >> would you compromise on tte senate, and you know why, 31 democrats in the house, 5 democrats inhe se sa they agreedt me oughto the middle of a recession. what might happen down o is not the subject today. the question is, do we want to

raise taxes in the middleoa very, very tough economy? all the republicans think that's a bad idea, and a substantial number of the democrats think the same thing. >> right, but there's also this huge ithaople about, and that is the deficit. >> and adding -- keeping the ta cuts will add trillions to that, and let me ask you this, according to howard gleckman at the tax policy center, let's see what he's just written, "mcconnell would have to abolish all the rest of the government to get a balance by 2020, everything, no more national parks, no more nih, no more highway construction, no more homeland security, oh, and no more congress." >> let me tell you -- >> so where would you get the cuts. >> let me tell you how to reduce the deficit. two things, number one, get spending down and, number two, you need to get the economy going. >> right. >> everything that's happened in the last year and a half has been to pump up the government. we borrowed stimulus we spe government workers. we sent it down to state so

they would not have to lay off state workers. you have to get the economy going. that's the way you narrow the deficit.thecnomg ano cf ovedingwn. thowncretre and we're going to have this recession go on, who knows how long. >> but you're still not saying re ,big wou come from because some of the things you're talking about -- >> let me give you an example. >> social security or >> givn ex senate republeredo freeze the top line onext year's appropriations at essentially what we spent this year. the difference between that and what the president asked for over a 10-year period would be $300 billion. with regard to the entitlements, the president has appointed a deficit reduction commission. i've appointed three members tof it ohna aped h they're going to report in december and make a recommendation about what we might do about our long-term unfunded liabilities. we'll wait and see what they recommend, but hopefully it will be somthatlde red rtiss.

>> so all of this comes into the pledge for america, which was announced this week, a platform for future governing by the republicans. now, many people say that it's simply more of the same. you've obviously heard a lot of that over the last couple of days, it's basically nothing new. and whether they're left, right or center, people are complaining, in fact, it doesn't go far enough, particularly for the very enthusiastic tea party base that you have. so, for instance, eric erickson has written about this pledge. "it's full of mom-tested kid-approved pablum that will make certain hearts on the right sing in solidarity but like a diet full of sugar, it would actually do nothing but keep making washington fatter before we crash from the sugar high." how are you going to -- well, you're laughing. >> well, any time you do anything in public life, somebody criticizes it. go ahead. i'm sorry, i didn't mean to interrupt. >> that's all right, but i want to ask you, how will you satisfy the base which seems to be

really an insurrection now, the tea party. would you agree that they're -- >> let me tell you what everybody agrees on. everybody agrees on the primaries are over, and we all agree we want to go out and beat the democrats november 2nd. >> right. >> so there's all kinds of energy in the republican party or people who are inclined to vote republican. the tea party people are not all republicans, some independents, but one thing we know about everybody who has been active in this movement, we know none of them are going to go out and vote democrat on november 2nd. we may have some internal differences about various parts, but everybody knows who's been in charge of the government for the last year and a half. >> well -- >> everybody knows who's been in charge of the government for the last year and a half. the democrats have had the white house.hey'had a huge margin in the house, a bi in the senate, and they know if they want to save america, they've got to change the congress, and that's going to novr 2n ou rec

there's no recession, and many will say that,, th stopped it from goi >> but, christiane -- >> -- awful situation. let me ask you this. you say you want it go out and win in november. i want to play for you something that tom r theimn the republican party in delaware, said to me on this o'donn candidate, won in that last primary in delaware.- lt >> we had a candidate that was very close to becoming the next united states senator from delaware, and essentially people on our own team clipped him right as he was about to go on the goal line. >> right. so that's mike castle, who they thought would win that election come november. now he's basically saying perhaps not. so how do you square that? i mean do you think these tea party candidates will be good for you in november? >> look, there are 12 places now, right now where there's a democratic senator where our candidate is either a little bit behind, dead even or well ahead. california, washington, nevada, colorado, illinois,

pennsylvania, indiana, north dakota, arkansas, wisconsin, connecticut, west virginia, we're competitive in a lot of places. will we win them all? who knows. the delaware primary was interesting. new candidate, fresh face, i think she's got a good chance of winning. >> i mean she definitely wasn't your candidate. i mean basically they -- one would say that the public -- >> you picked out one. senate race. i just gave you 12 places where we have a chance of beating democrats. >> even in your own state and i want to ask you actually what are the qualifications do these people have? for instance, what is christine o'donnell's qualification for actually governing? what is sharron angle's actual qualification for governing? >> well, they won the primary fair and square against real competition, and they emerged as the nominee. and sharron angle is running no worse than dead even against the majority leader of the senat >> and you're not afraid that there might be a turnoff whether it's --

>> am i afraid of having more repicanee? >> no, that wasn't the question. >> of course, not. >> t are you not afraid that somewhat, one would say, some might say, bizarre statements, they're sort of a fringe quality that might actually turn people off. for instance, what do you say about a sharron angle who i know you just had a fund-raiser for who basically talks about enemies in congress and talks -- and hints about, you know, armed rebellion to put them down. i mean, is that the kind of talk from a united states senator -- >> you knot moicanf1 o ext >> well, i know, and i'm going to answer it. and i'm going to answer it. what most americans think is exrem thef government we beennin for the last year and a half. we've seen the government taking over bank, insurance companies, car company, nationalizing the student loan business. we're on a path to double the national debt in five and triple it in ten. most americans think what's been happening over the last year and a half is extreme and want to change it and know the way to

change it is change the congress because you don't get to make policy u >> you n't me u commentsm pett b kno i mean >> i don't think the people of nevada should be attacked for the choice they made in the primary. and the candidate is running dead even with the majority leader of the united states senate. obviously the people of nevada think that she is a very good candidate or she wouldn't be running even with someone of such power and significance. >> do you think there will be more bipartisan compromise when they come in or less? >> i think the way to get bipartisan compromise is to not have one side have an overwhelming majority, and the american people know that if they're frustrated with this administration, it won't change on years, but they can take the first step toward moving this government back toward the political center and maybe even a little bit right of center i there's a v gooon. >>or mccnn thaery e. >> t you

and middle east peace talks are at a critical stage this weekend. israel's moratorium on settlements expires in a few hours, so will the talks collapse? and all this was on the mind of queen rania of jordan when we sat down to talk this week. she was in new york for the u.n. general assembly. jordan, along with egypt, are the only two arab countries which have made peace with israel, and this queen, a mother of four, is on a campaign to promote moderate voices in e arab world and to counter the extremists. >> your majesty, thank you for joining us. >> pleasure, thank you, christiane. >> there is, as you know, a peace process in place right now. everybody is waiting to see whether the prime minister of israel keeps the moratorium s something to be i know there's a lot of cynicism, and i know that a lot of people don't believe that it's going to happen, and it's not easy.

if it was easy, it would have happened by now. but what's very important to emphasize is why this peace ess tant why we mustn't let cynicism or pessimism just dismiss the whole process, and if you look at the religious situation and what we are seeing here, the tensions that exist, i'm not saying that the middle east problem is an israeli/palestinian issue as the one that created religious extremism. religious extremism would have existed anyway. but extremists have done a damn good job of using this cause to amplify their message, you know, to try to reach the masses. and we need to realize that when there's a population that is living under occupation, that -- where there's no justice where they can't send their children to school where mothers have to deliver on checkpoints, and on the other side where israelis feel they have to build a bubble, you know, have to build a wall in order to exist safely because they live in such a hostile environment, that is an explosive situation that has repercussions not only in our region but in our entire world

and see those, even the debates going on in the states, so we have an extremely high stake and vested interest in seeing these negotiations move forward. in terms of the settlements that you were asking me about, you know, whether there is the moratorium continues or not, what matters to me is what actually happens on the ground, you know. if both sides are still talking and in the spirit of peace these -- the settlements are not expanded upon, then i think both sides need to be flexible as long as they continue to talk. we need to see results. the palestinian people and the israeli people need to see change, tangible change in their lives very soon. >> president obama figures very strongly in this middle east peace process, of course. he's brought the two sides together. unfortunately, pew polls and others now show his popularity dipping in the islamic world including in jordan. what are your thoughts on that? >> simple. let's see what happens with the middle -- if we achieve success with this round of middle east talks, then let's check his

popularity ratings after that. i think they'll skyrocket. >> you mentioned how this extremist ideology is even coming to play in the united states. you've seen the reaction and the fallout from the islamic center but it goes broader than that. do you see as sort of a dangerous islamaphobia in the united states -- how do you assess what's happening here? >> well, it just really surprised me how inflamed this issue became. what really should be driving this debate is what is the road to reckon sail jason? at the end of the day this is a center that is about religious harmony. it's about tolerance. if people understand that this is a center that does not play in the hand of the bin ladens of this world but rather confronts them and undermines them. >> but do you worry that people here sometimes conflate, confuse bin laden with islam in general? >> absolutely, absolutely. i think the major failure that we have -- that is going on is an inability or a refusal to make a distinction between the extremists like the bin ladens of this world and the rest of

the muslims, you know, so for me, bin laden doesn't represent me. he doesn't represent millions of people, millions of muslims around the world, and i think that's one of the worst and cruelest legacies of 9/11 is the fact that it's changed our hearts. it's made people more fearful of people of other religions or people who look different or dress different or -- and it's so contradictory to the most beautiful values of the united states. you know, people look at the united states as a leader in terms of religious tolerance and freedom of worship. now the people of america need to decide, do they want to continue to play this leadership role to the rest of the world? because even the arab world, even the muslim world, we look up to the united states when it comes to freedoms. >> then how does the muslim world reclaim that moderate center to allay the fears here? >> i think the muslim world has to speak up more. moderates in general have to speak up more, and also when they speak, there needs to be people listening on the other side because this is a debate

that affects how the future generations think and feel. >> it's the u.n. general assembly, and you're here in part because of the millennium development goals. now, for a lot of people that's jargon, but what do the mdgs actually aim for? >> well, in the year 2000 world leaders came together, and they made eight promises, you know, dealing with maternal health, child mortality, education, gender equality, climate change, cutting down poverty. there has been some progress made, but it's been uneven. i think the food crisis, the economic crisis, the climate crisis, all those have meant that in many cases we've limped rather than leaped, so we have to redouble our efforts to make sure that we reach these goals. >> in the 10 years since 2000, what has been achieved on eradicating extreme poverty, that was one promise, making universal primary education accessible, empowering women. >> right. education and empowerment of women are two that i'm concerned about because if we reach those

two, they underpin success for all the other goals. >> many of the reports about the arab world say that one of the reasons it lags behind the rest of the developing world is because it disempowers half its population, i.e., the women. >> absolutely. i totally agree with that. i think, you know, when you look at the middle east and north africa region, one of the biggest spenders on education, and in most countries there is gender parity in terms of education, so even across 12 of the arab states, you have just as many girls as boys going to school, and in many cases many more women graduating from university than men, but the problem is that although we're making these investments in women, we're not reaping the benefits because they're not going into the workplace. >> do you get pushed back from some of the more islamic party members, for instance, the islamic groups in jordan? >> not necessarily islamic because islam doesn't say women shouldn't work. >> no, it doesn't. >> but there are certain conservative mind-sets that think that it's either/or.

either you work or you have a family. you can't do both. we're still at a very low level in terms of female participation but women are proving themselves in the business sector. we have women in the army. we have women in the security forces. we have female judges, entrepreneurs all over. but it's going to be incremental, and sometimes it's generational. you can't have, you know, the western way of doing things can't be the -- our way of doing things. your majesty, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you very much, christiane. >> when we come back, our roundtable, they're all here and ready to go, george will, donna brazile, ron brownstein of "the national journal" and matthew dowd, so please stay with us. we'll be right back. ♪ when the parts for the line ♪ ♪ come precisely on time ♪ ♪ that's logistics ♪ ♪ a continuous link that is always in sync ♪

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yo your fresh new idea sounds slightly like -- did i say slightly? exactly like your old ideas. >> cut washington red tape. >> act immediately to reduce spending. >> have real reforms to reduce spending. >> change the way we do business in washington. >> change business as usual in washington. >> make the tax cuts permanent. >> make the existing tax cuts permanent. >> a smaller -- >> a smaller. >> less costly. >> less costly. >> and more accountable. >> and more accountable government in our nation's capital. >> jon stewart from "the daily show" with his own take on the house republican pledge to america. one of the topics we'll discuss today on our roundtable with

george will, democratic strategist donna brazile, ron brownstein of "the national journal" and matthew dowd, former bush political strategist. welcome to you all. so, george, pledge to america, it's nice, it's glossy, there are lots of pictures. is it new? >> no, in the sense that mr. stewart is quite right that republicans are acting like republicans which is sort of what they want to do. limited government, smaller government, less spending. this was prepared against the backdrop of what i consider the most important number in the blizzard of numbers we're hearing this year. only one in four americans expects their economic condition to be better next year than this year, so they're gloomy. they blame it on that institution six blocks away and the one ten blocks away that way. >> congress and the white house. >> congress and the white house and that's why in that pledge the word spending appears 47 times. a perfunctory nod to the social issues, but this is about economics. >> spending, i tried to get it

out of senator mcconnell. you know, they talk about rolling back spending but where? where are they going to take on the big, big, big issues of social security and all the rest? >> well, the interesting thing about this, first of all, the only people that will have read this are the person that wrote it and maybe the person that printed it. it's not going to have any effect on the election. the problem with what the country has, they don't trust either party on spending. they went through years where spending rose dramatically. they're two years into the obama administration where spending has risen dramatically, so the country doesn't trust any of them, so they're trying to kick out the next round. they're going to kick out a whole bunch in this year, 2010. that's the problem. the country does not trust either political party to do what they want to do, so that's why they're sending what many consider fringe candidates to washington. >> it's not only the political parties they don't trust. i would amend or disagree a

little bit with george. what happened after 2008 after the financial meltdown was trust cratered in both government and business. obama overestimated the extent pto e puld b looki ling ernm counteract business, be it have a larger role in the economy, and they're seeing the backlash of that now. clearly a portion of what's happening now is an ideological backlash among voters who don't trust washington to do the kind of things the democrats have setd to on the other hand, there is a tremendous loss of faith in business, as well. i think republicans do face the risk depending on how th interpret of what happens in november of coming in as in '95 and trying to go too far in the other direction and seeing a backlash against that government. we've done polling. only one-third f am thtthe tax cuts to everybody. only one-third support the idea of repealing health car completely, and only one-third medicare into a voucher for seniors as some of the house >> christiane, i read it.

it's retro. it's recycled old material from the past. it'e. it's a fig leaf to cover the thinness of their proposals. there is some spending in that booklet. it's spending more on the military. it's spending money that we don't have. it's spending more on tax cuts that we can't afford, so this is an opportunity for republicans to finally say, we're for something but it gives democrats to say what they're being against over the last 18 months. >> given what ron just said about the numbers and what people think about health care and the rest, why then haven't the democrats been able to translate into a positive message? >> because i think it's been very difficult to have a naetha the ey d hehat we't yoey, taxpayers' money to a total meltdown on the economy, to invest in things that the republicans didn't care about and to try to put the economy back on a sane footing. that has not translated into votes, and it hasn't given democrats a real opportunity to

campaign. >> i think the real pr is that nothing has happened since barack obama took office that's positive in the american public's mind. their health care costs have risen. premiums have risen on health care. the job situation has worsened. the deficit has worsened. everything si 2009 has gotten worse. >> but hasn't -- when you say nothing's happened, he's pushed a huge amount through congress, un unprecedented amount. are you saying nothing happened or the message hasn't gotten through? >> the public does not judge success based on passing a bill in washington but by whether or >> right. but there is no depression. the recession has ended. >> yeah, but thenot tangiblgainas i mean, look, i think you have two things -- the public view is actually pretty nuanced if you look at polling and you go out and talk to people. by and large more americans think that the policies than obama certainly led to this praecipes, taking us into this cataclism. on the other hand, they have

judged that it has not made things better, the driving force of the election. what democrats are trying to do by focusing on republican policies is saying, look, the issue shouldn't be what happened over the last 20 months, shouldn't be a referendum but a choice about alternative directions going forward. that is a very hard place to get the voters in a midterm election. >> you think it will be a referendum. >> yeah. >> look at the difficulties they have. they passed a stimulus which by their own values did not stimulate. did not keep unemployment at 8%. they passed a health care bill that may not be as michael barrone says the most unpopular legislation since the kansas/nebraska act of 1864 but it's unpopular so they said, we'll run against george w. bush. well, in ohio mr. portman is about to be elected seor w was a close aide of george b let's run against wall street. well, in ohio, mr. kasich is leading in the race for governor. he worked for lehman brothers. none ofesta

theirs have worked. >> we were just talking about. you just mentioned the word fri i asked senator mcconnell about some of thse tty and you've just written this article, "extreme makeover" whose subtitle is "the midterm elections could send the most militantly conservative class of new senators in at least the past half century." what will that mean? >> well, it's going to be -- i think it's going to be stronger infusi conservative enrgy e uniformly conservative energy than we saw even in the class of '94 or 1980. there are a range of views among this class, we looked at the 21 republican senate challengers with the best chance of winning. there are a range of views in terms of the long-range agenda. some like christine o'donnell or sharron angle or joe miller in alaska would go further than portman or blount, the more contion candidates, but when you look at what is actualgoin the table in the next couple years, there is more unanimity and a more consistently conservaive ng t

republian csan seen really at any point. just a couple quick examples. all 21 say they will extend the bush tax cuts. 20 of 21 of them say they will oppose any future tax hikes. 20 of 20 took the position of support a balanced budget amendment and oppose cap and trade. 19 of the 20 who it can a position say global climate change is unproven or actually a hoax so in the near -- in the long term there may be differences about some wanting to go further about rolling back the minimum wage, unemployment benefits, but on what they will actually be dealing with, you will see i think a very strong poll toward a more conservative consistently conservative position in that republican caucus. >> add to the deficit, all thesepadll bcall >> republicans have a great story right n to i was up watching the lsu game clearly. but the problem i have, and the republicans should understand, is that there's still an internal civil war going on within the republican party in

washington state, in delaware, in colorado. many of the mainstream republican candidates have not endorsed the tea party candidates, that they have provided enthusiasm. they provide a lot of energy, an organization for the republican party, but we don't know yet if the republicans can heal those wounds and provide the kind of turnout -- >> i think if you gave most democrats truth serum, and you would ask which place they would rather be in, they would pick the republicans' place rather than their own place in the election. the problem for the class coming in for the republicans is for mitch mcconnell, who you just talked to, is his ability to herd them will be like herding quail. because these folks are coming to washington saying, i i'm not going to be part of this. i'm not going to listen to the leaders. i'm going to what the voters >> i wanted to ask because in today's newspaper, there is a quote by a senior republican, now,nsulhaaf the elections, it's going to be basically all-out war, a struggle for the heart and the

soul of the re your >> they've been writing this story for eight months about what a problem the y is for the repblicty. you know what the problem is -- >> well, tom ross basically told us that they lost because of that >> on balance across the trty norm at the beginning of the year, the question was will the tea party play nicely with others and obey the rules of politics? who is not playing nicely? mr. crist discovers that he's an independent and changes all his views overnight. mrs. murkowski loses a primary and suddenly discovers she has a property right in her senate seat, and she's going to run as a write-in. senator bennet thought of that in utah, castle in delaware is thinking of a write-in candidate. who are the extremists here? >> arlen specter, you got arlen specter. >> i would say, look, i mean clearly this class of republicans do not feel they are being sent barack obama or to follow the republican leadership, so in that sense there is going to be

tension, and i quote ken buck in my s a but if you look at what they are actually goito b voting on in all likelihoo ove the next remarkable uni class, and despite all the focus on the civil war, i think that is a long-range vision of what the federal government should be doing or not doing is where you will see divergence. in the near term, in the near term i think in terms -- he main thing that the republicans are being sent here to do, to block and try to roll back whatever th can oba i think the spendin to be a challenge for them because if you want to the defits ten x cuts, that points you back towarcuinre a medicaid, which is exactly the problem they got in '85 and may end up in that cul-de-sac next year. i actually believe there is more commalit are going to be a very formidable and i think cohesive force. >> look at the not s ter in the 2014 combined, the democrats are defending 43 senate seats, republicans, 22.

so the republican wave that's now starting is just starting. >> you know -- >> it's true. let's go to a real war and that is afghanistan and bob woodward's inside fly on the wall look at it. can i ask you, yes, he is a brilliant writer and he sells books. why would the white house over and over again give him the keys? >> this happened in the bush white house. there's this appeal about him based on 30 somet and what happened with watergate and he has an aura about him that people think they have to talk to him if they- pe hi that bob woodward, if you got to talk to him for him to tell your narrative. they sit around and have sandwiches or iced tea and lemonade and talk because they want to be part of history. >> turned out quite well would you say for the administration? >> it showed that the president was decisive, that he was involved deeply in the strategy in afghanistan, that he artiein o allowed his inner circle to hav eme i think people talked about or talked to bob woodward because they know that

bob will talk to you or go talk behind your back to someone who >> whatever the answer is, i wish i knew because it seems to be a great way to g best-selling books, but i think what the book portrays is i think understandable ambivalence. who would not be ambivalent about the choice of letting them devolve into chaos and going forward with all the problems we face with a very weak partner there. >> last word, geo >> the book distracted attention from the fact that a corrupt government elected by a corrupt election presided over another corrupt election in afghanistan. >> this weekend was pretty dire for that, indeed, and this conversation will continue in the green room, and we just also wanted to give you a word about a sl prm ne the plans to bld that islamic center near ground zero has unleashed an international debate raising questit america's uneasy relaship with islam. so next sunday we're going to hear from all sides thi it's going to be called "holy wars: should we be afraid of you can submit questions on my

facebook page or at our website, abcnews.com/townhall. and this coming friday diane sawyer anchors a special edition of "20/20" reporting on islam and taking all the questions and answers. still to come on "this week," though, "in memoriam" and "the sunday funnies," and we'll be right back. [ technician ] are you busy? management just sent over these new technical manuals. they need you to translate them into portuguese. by tomorrow. [ male announcer ] ducati knows it's better for xerox to manage their global publications. so they can focus on building amazing bikes. with xerox, you're ready for real business. what's around the corner is one of life's great questions. and while it can never be fully answered, it helps to have a financial partner like northern trust. by gaining a keen understanding of your financial needs, we're able to tailor a plan sing a full suite... of sophisticated investment stategies and solutions. so whatever's around

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may i sing to you ♪ ♪ won't you listen to a song that's in my heart ♪ >> we remember all of those who died in war this week. the pentagon released the names of 20 service members killed in afghanistan.

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and now "the sunday funnies." >> you know, they did a story about it on the news this whole witchcraft thing, and it is a little scary. take a look. look at what happened here. >> i was in high school. how many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks in high school? but, no, there's been no witchcraft. >> while speaking at the u.n. general assembly on tuesday, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad predicted the defeat of capitalism, predicted. at this point it's more like he noticed. >> last night on fox news sarah palin said she would run for president if nobody else steps up, which explains why today nearly every person in the country announced they were running for president. >> and we'll be right back.

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the first ever televised presidential debate. viewers saw a calm and cool relatively unknown candidate on the same stage as the vice president, who refused to wear makeup and looked uncomfortable. kennedy, of course, won the election, and after that campaign, nixon never debated again, but the format spread around the world, and tv face-offs have become common rituals in elections all over the globe, as well as here in the united states. that's our program. thank you for watching, and we hope to see you next week with our special town hall. financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah.

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